ENGINEERING

Quarantine a Flaky Test on CI Failure and File the Owner

When a CI run reports an intermittent test failure, this workflow tags the test as quarantined, finds its code owner from CODEOWNERS.

CategoryEngineering
Enginesim
Difficultyintermediate
Triggerwebhook
Steps6
Setup~15 min

How it runs

The automated pipeline, trigger to output.

  • TriggerGitHub workflow_run completed webhookGitHubGitHub
  • LogicDetect flaky signature (failed on retry after prior pass)
  • ActionResolve owner from CODEOWNERS for failing fileGitHubGitHub
  • ActionOpen quarantine PR adding skip annotationGitHubGitHub
  • ActionCreate assigned Linear issue with 14-day due dateLinearLinear
  • OutputComment issue link back on the CI runGitHubGitHub

What it does

Catches tests that fail intermittently on GitHub Actions, moves them into a quarantine state so they stop blocking merges, and immediately creates an accountable owner record in Linear with a deadline to fix and re-enable.

When to use it

Run this when a green-then-red test is wedging your main branch and you want to keep shipping without silently deleting coverage. It turns 'just skip it' into a tracked, owned, time-boxed task.

How it works

  1. 1A GitHub workflow_run completion webhook fires when a CI job finishes.
  2. 2A logic step inspects the run: only proceed if a test failed on a retry that previously passed (the flaky signature).
  3. 3The workflow reads CODEOWNERS for the failing test file to resolve the responsible team or person.
  4. 4It commits a skip annotation to the test file on a quarantine branch and opens a PR.
  5. 5A Linear issue is created, assigned to the resolved owner, labeled 'flaky-quarantine', with a due date 14 days out.
  6. 6The issue link is posted back as a comment on the originating CI run for traceability.

Set it up

What you configure once, before turning it on.

  1. 1
    Connect GitHubRepos, issues, pull requests, actions.
  2. 2
    Connect LinearIssues, projects, cycles, triage.
  3. 3
    Set each agent's modelWe leave models unset so you pick the tier — fast + cheap, or top-quality.
  4. 4
    Tune it to your dataEdit the prompts, filters, and field mappings so it matches how your team works.
  5. 5
    Test, then turn it onRun once against a sample, confirm the output, then enable the trigger.

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